Cardiac Surgery in Uganda

Congenital and acquired Cardiac conditions are now one of Uganda’s leading causes of childhood mortality. The successful outcomes of public health initiatives have decreased the mortality of infectious diseases. Udanga’s increasing availability of pediatric surgical care, particularly in cardiology, may reduce Cardiac diseases. However, thanks to the efforts of the Uganda Heart Institute, access to heart surgery and treatment is increasing. The Cardiac Surgery cost in Uganda is less due to the experts performing surgeries in the country at well-facilitated hospitals.

History of Cardiac Surgery in Uganda:

In 1956, Prof. Somers Crusher of the Department of Medicine established the first cardiac clinic at Mulago Hospital. In 1958, the first operational cardiac laboratory was founded. The Queen of Holland donated a new Cardiac Laboratory set up in the Department of Internal Medicine when the New Mulago Hospital was built in 1960.

In Mulago Hospital, open heart surgery was carried out in 1969 using the core cooling technique. Unfortunately, all of these developments were lost due to the political crisis in the 1970s, which cut off all trainees abroad and forced them to return home. It was decided to establish the Heart Institute at a meeting in Mulago in 1988. The Uganda Heart Foundation, Makerere University, Mulago Hospital, and the Ministry of Health attended the meeting.

The Mulago Hospital, the Ministry of Health, Makerere University, and the Uganda Heart Foundation were the founding bodies of the Uganda Heart Institute, formally established in 2001. UHI thus started functioning as a partially autonomous Unit under Mulago Hospital in. In October 2007, the first open heart surgery case was performed.

Cardiac Surgery cost in Uganda

Cardiac Surgery in Uganda	Average Cost in Ugandan Shilling (Ush)	Average Cost in US Dollar (USD)
Open Heart Surgeries – CABG	UGX 3,22,37,679	$8,955
Single Valve – AV Replacement	UGX 6,33,07,900	$17,586
Double Valve Replacement	UGX 7,91,37,161	$21,983
AV/MV Repair	UGX 4,74,78,639	$13,189
CABG + MV Repair	UGX 4,95,91,036	$13,775
AV Repair + MV Repair	UGX 4,95,91,036	$13,775
CABG +AV Repair	UGX 4,95,91,036	$13,775
Minimally Invasive CABG	UGX 5,90,92,250	$16,415
Minimally Invasive ASD Closure	UGX 5,90,92,250	$16,415
Minimally Invasive MV Repair	UGX 5,90,92,250	$16,415
CABG +MV Replacement	UGX 6,96,35,946	$19,343
CABG + DV Repair	UGX 5,90,92,250	$16,415
Lobectomy/ Pneumonectomy	UGX 4,22,02,218	$11,723
TV Repair	UGX 4,74,78,639	$13,189
AICD	UGX 2,28,61,440	$6,350
ASD Closure	UGX 2,79,41,760	$7,762
Aortic Valve Replacement	UGX 2,94,65,856	$8,185
Aortic valve stenosis	UGX 3,14,97,984	$8,749
Aortopulmonary window	UGX 2,79,41,760	$7,762
Arteriovenous Fistula with Graft	UGX 3,45,46,176	$9,596
Balloon Valvotomy	UGX 2,43,85,536	$6,774
Bentall Procedure	UGX 2,18,45,376	$6,068
Biventricular Pacemaker Implantation	UGX 4,31,82,720	$11,995
CABG	UGX 3,30,22,080	$9,173
CRT-D	UGX 4,82,63,040	$13,406
Cabrol Procedure	UGX 4,26,74,688	$11,854
Cardiac Assessment	UGX 20,32,128	$564
Cardiac Electrophysiology Study	UGX 40,64,256	$1,129
Cardiothoracic Surgery	UGX 1,77,81,120	$4,939
Coronary Angiography	UGX 1,77,81,120	$4,939
Coronary Angioplasty	UGX 1,77,81,120	$4,939
Double Chamber Pacemaker Implantation	UGX 6,35,04,000	$17,640
Double Valve Replacement	UGX 3,81,02,400	$10,584
Electrophysiology Study & Radio Frequency Ablation	UGX 2,48,93,568	$6,915
Heart Port Surgery	UGX 1,77,81,120	$4,939
Heart Transplant	UGX 23,11,54,560	$64,210
Heart Valve Replacement	UGX 2,79,41,760	$7,762
MVR (Mitral Valve Replacement)	UGX 3,30,22,080	$9,173
Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass	UGX 2,79,41,760	$7,762
Pacemaker Implantation	UGX 3,81,02,400	$10,584
Patent Ductus Arteriosus device closure (PDA)	UGX 3,30,22,080	$9,173
Right Heart Catheterization	UGX 6,35,04,000	$17,640
Single Chamber Pacemaker Implantation	UGX 4,82,63,040	$13,406
Tricuspid valve replacement surgery	UGX 2,79,41,760	$7,762
Ventricular Septal Defect Closure (VSD)	UGX 4,31,82,720	$11,995

Cost of Top Cardiac Procedures in Uganda

Open Heart Surgery:

Open heart surgery is a major procedure that necessitates a week-long hospital stay. Immediately following surgery, patients frequently spend time in the intensive care unit. The cost of Open Heart Surgery in Uganda is around $8,955. An open heart operation is performed to fix a heart defect or damage. The surgeon must open the chest to access the heart during the procedure. The heart can be opened and repaired in a quiet, bloodless environment. A medication known as “cardioplegia” can stop the heart. Using a cold, high-potassium solution causes cardioplegia. Additionally, while the heart is stopped, the muscle is protected.

Heart Transplant:

A damaged or sick heart is surgically removed and replaced with a healthy donor heart in a heart transplant. Finding a heart donor can be challenging. Someone who is brain dead but is still receiving life support must donate their heart. To lessen the likelihood that your body will reject the donor’s heart, it must be healthy and free of disease and match your blood and/or tissue type as closely as possible. The cost Heart Transplant in Uganda is $64,210.

Heart Valve Replacement:

A heart valve not functioning correctly due to valvular heart disease can be repaired or replaced through heart valve surgery and procedures. Open heart surgery involves entering the chest through the breastbone to perform heart valve surgery. It is an effective procedure that can take up to two hours to complete, and recovery frequently lasts for several weeks. The Heart Valve Replacement cost in Uganda is $7,762.

Pacemaker Implantation

A pacemaker is a medical device that aids in regular heartbeat maintenance. It may be a life-altering therapy for heart conditions like arrhythmias, in which the heart beats erratically. Small electronic devices called pacemakers are used to treat heart conditions like arrhythmias. This describes a collection of illnesses that mess with the heart’s rhythm. The Pacemaker Implantation cost in Uganda is $10,584.

CRT-D:

During the CRT-D procedure, a device is implanted in your chest to monitor your heart health, help normalize your heartbeats, and give your doctor information he or she can use to determine the best course of action for you. A CRT-D procedure is frequently referred to as a defibrillator for cardiac resynchronization therapy. Only premier hospitals in Uganda offer CRT-D Implantation therapy, carried out by highly skilled cardiac surgeons. The CRT-D cost in Uganda is $13,406.

Right Heart Catheterization:

A cardiologist or pulmonologist typically performs the right heart catheterization as an outpatient procedure in the cath lab of a hospital. The pressures that a right heart catheter collects from different areas of the heart can help doctors diagnose and treat conditions like congestive heart failure, pulmonary heart disease, septic shock, valvular heart disease, and congenital heart disease. The Right Heart Catheterization cost in Uganda is $17,640.

Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass:

With the aid of this innovative new technique, coronary revascularization can be carried out without a heart-lung machine and with only a tiny incision. This preserves the impressive durability seen when the internal mammary artery is used as a bypass conduit while lowering the complications and morbidity occasionally associated with conventional coronary artery surgery. A Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass in Uganda costs $7,762.

MVR (Mitral Valve Replacement):

A mechanical or artificial heart valve replaces the diseased mitral valve during a surgical procedure known as mitral valve replacement, or MVR. The mitral valve, one of the four heart valves, controls how much blood leaves the heart and travels to the rest of the body. The mitral valve in your heart must be either repaired or replaced during surgery, known as mitral valve surgery. The MVR (Mitral Valve Replacement) cost in Uganda is $9,173.

Government Initiations to increase the Facilities of Cardiology Surgeries in Uganda

Health Ministry invested in more research into a few frequently occurring conditions but have no known cause and treatment within the country.

Public Healthcare camps increased early disease detection and intensified training and capacity building to treat patients.

Train more doctors in specific complex procedures, nurses, and non-physician health workers in referrals and basic screenings in local hospitals and camps.

To ward off acquiring heart disease, hospitals in Uganda offered pediatric cardiology preventative care.

The Government invested in support of interventions and surgeries and created cardiac care facilities.

Cardiac Surgery reviews in Uganda

Few hospitals in Uganda offer improved Cardiac Surgery, which has one of the highest success rates in the world. Ugandan hospitals have access to state-of-the-art Cardiac Surgery tools and technology for patient care. Cardiac patients do not have to leave Uganda for treatment because the same standard of care is available there. Cardiac Surgery has received positive reviews from Ugandan patients.

Ugandan Heart Institute collaboration with Foreign Hospitals

It was possible to perform open-heart surgeries on congenital heart disorders in 2007 thanks to an initiative by the Ugandan Heart Institute in collaboration with international teams from Washington, D.C. Through this effort, Uganda was given access to the equipment and expertise required for open-heart surgery. And the results are outstanding, as, in 2005, all open-heart surgeries were carried out abroad, and by 2015, only 15% were. It is also seen that the cost of Open Heart Surgery in Uganda is less than that in foreign countries.

UNC team provides heart surgery to Uganda

During the annual two-week medical mission to Mulago Hospital, Makerere University, Uganda, a UNC medical team performed heart surgery on ten kids with complicated congenital heart defects. The operations went well; all the children received successful surgeries. The UNC team visited Uganda to provide training to medical professionals at the Uganda Heart Institute. The mission’s primary goal is to assist the pediatric cardiac surgery program in becoming self-sufficient in treating heart-affected children.

Technologies used for Cardiac Surgery in Uganda

Following Top Technologies used by the hospital in Uganda to give treatment to patients:

Virtual, Image-based FFR Technologies
Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Valve Interventions
Holographic Procedural Navigation in the Cath Lab
Virtual and Augmented Realty
Robots in the Cath Lab
Wearable Technologies Aid in Patient Monitoring

Why choose Uganda for Cardiac Surgery?

Uganda has one of the best hospitals in the world, providing high-quality care comparable to world-class standards. Ugandan Cardiac hospitals use cutting-edge technology to treat patients from all over the country.

Cardiothoracic surgeons in Uganda are well-trained to deal with complex Cardiac treatments. They are experts in Heart Surgeries and the treatment of heart diseases.

The cost of Cardiac Surgery is high in many countries, but treatment at Ugandan hospitals is low compared to other countries. In Uganda, advanced treatment for patients is available at a reasonable cost.

Success Rate of Cardiac Surgery in Uganda

Cardiac Surgery success rates in Uganda are among the highest in the world and are on par with those of the best hospitals. Only a few hospitals in Uganda perform this risky type of heart surgery with a high success rate. Numerous patients in Uganda’s cardiology department will receive aortic valve replacement therapy from highly skilled and knowledgeable aortic valve surgeons.

Medical Insurance for Cardiac Surgery in Uganda

Treatment at government hospitals is less convenient than at private hospitals in Uganda, but the costs may be higher. The following are a few insurance companies that provide cash-free healthcare in private hospitals:

Jubilee Life Insurance Company Uganda
Excel Insurance Limited
Britam Insurance Uganda
AAR Insurance Uganda
Insurance Regulatory Authority
Pax Insurance Company Limited

Best Cardiothoracic surgeons in Uganda

Dr. Naomi Kebba:

Dr. Naomi Kebba is currently working at Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) Mulago National Referral Hospital after she completed her Master of Medicine (MMed) in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery from the University of Nairobi. She is considered one of the best Cardiothoracic surgeons in Uganda.